Can aluminum cookware be washed in the dishwasher and what is the right way to do it?

A dishwasher is a great purchase, but before using the equipment, you should read the instructions. Some tableware still needs delicate hand washing. The "sissies" include cast iron, silver, wooden, crystal dishes. The article will focus on aluminum products: we will tell you why they cannot be loaded into the dishwasher, what happens to them, and how you can restore damaged pots.

Aluminum cookware began to be produced in the last century. She quickly gained popularity and became widespread. This happened due to many worthy characteristics - inexpensive, lightweight, does not corrode, and is endowed with high thermal conductivity. Today, a lot of products are produced from aluminum - from pans to parts for meat grinders. They do not fight, porridge does not burn in them, there is only one inconvenience - you have to wash it by hand.

Let's take a look at what happens to aluminum utensils in the dishwasher. Before getting to our kitchens, the manufacturer covers such items with a dense oxide film. It protects aluminum from contact with the external environment, since it is active and reacts with various substances, for example, with household chemicals and even with hot water.

Detergents used for PMM are much more aggressive than powders and gels used for hand washing dishes.... They contain a high percentage of alkali, which destroys the oxide film, and hot water gets the job done. After that, we take out the blackened pan from the dishwasher, which has lost not only its appearance, but has also become dangerous to health. The accumulation of aluminum in the body affects the development of Alzheimer's disease, not only the brain suffers, but other organs as well.

It should be remembered that even in new aluminum dishes it is not recommended to store food, especially with high acidity. After cooking, it should be transferred to a glass or enamel container, and the pan should be immediately washed with warm water, without drying, since the oxide layer can suffer not only from acid and alkali, but also from abrasive substances.

All aluminum objects suffer from the aggressive environment in the dishwasher. - pots, pans, cutlery, parts from an electric meat grinder, devices for squeezing garlic, baking, cleaning fish. Taking out spoiled things from the washing equipment, which have darkened and lost their appearance, we ask ourselves how to return the previous shine to the dishes? What do you need to do for this?

It all depends on the degree of destruction of the oxide layer. Its complete disappearance does not occur immediately; the amount of alkali and the degree of water heating are taken into account. Even with delicate manual washing, the surface of the pots will darken over time. The best way would be to get rid of the spoiled things. But if there are reasons to leave them, you can try to restore the shine in different ways, but they are all made by hand.

• Try rubbing a spoiled pot with GOI paste. It is used for polishing and is sold at hardware and hardware stores. After placing some of the pasta on a piece of felt, rub the dishes with it.

• Special paste for cleaning aluminum from a French manufacturer Dialux will cost more, but it is designed specifically for problems with this kind of cookware.

• Some users, trying to restore the damaged layer, resort to using the remedy "HORS"designed to remove dark deposits and rust from the car. Then rub the pan with any polish.

Now let's figure out how to take care of aluminum cookware, how it can be washed and cleaned so that the metal does not oxidize. The main rule is not to let it dry, wash immediately after eating or cooking, as you should avoid using sponges and brushes with a metal surface, powders with abrasive particles and scraping burnt areas with a knife. The oxide layer is not stable enough, it is easy to damage it, and the metal will begin to oxidize.

For stubborn dirt, fill the pot with water and let it stand until the stuck food becomes soft and leaves the container with a regular washcloth. There are other ways as well.

• Wash the dishes with warm water, ammonia and soap that we keep in the kitchen. Soap washes away dirt well, and alcohol neutralizes fat. Then rinse thoroughly.

• Ammonia can always be added to the water while rinsing, it will help preserve the shine.

• If you find a slight darkening on the walls of the pan after washing, you should lubricate it a solution of water and vinegar, mixed in equal parts, leave for a few minutes, then rinse well and wipe dry.

• When washing aluminum utensils, it is better do not use ordinary household chemicals, but to purchase products for the care of glass, ceramics, porcelain, even if they are not intended for dishes. For example, formulations such as Shine Coins for porcelain or Pure OFF Gel for ceramics.

• After the milk or container test, first rinse with cold water and then with moderately hot water.

• It is better not to use a saucepan for cooking potatoes in their skins.if done frequently, the product will cause darkening of the metal.

• In aluminum containers fermented milk products, pickles and sauerkraut cannot be stored, prolonged exposure to acid can damage the oxide coating and lead to tarnishing of the product.

• Some recommend wipe stains with a swab dipped in vinegar or baking soda solution... Then rinse quickly and wipe dry.

• As a folk remedy that helps with soot, use onion cut into pieces... It should be boiled in a soiled pot for half an hour.

• As a brightening recipe, it is proposed boiling water for ten minutes with the addition of citric acid (1 teaspoon per 2 liters of water).

Aluminum is a light and delicate metal, it should be protected from mechanical stress, shock, falls, otherwise dents may remain on the pans. And, of course, do not load into the dishwasher, wash by hand.

For information on whether it is possible to wash aluminum dishes in the dishwasher and how to do it correctly, see the video below.